If you’ve never tried to write your own “bucket list,” you might find it harder than you would have imagined. As many of you will already likely know, a “bucket list” is a wish list of things you’d like to do before you “kick the bucket.” Many of you will be familiar with this idea thanks to the 2007 comedy, “The Bucket List,” which starred Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. I’ve always kind of walked around with a “bucket list” in my head, but I’d never taken the time to write one down until recently. Something about the act of writing these items down makes them seem more concrete and doable. Of course, realistically I realize that I’ll probably never be able to achieve some of them due to lack of funds, time constraints, physical impossibility or age, but you never know.
In preparation for this post, I set out in early December to draft my own bucket list, and I was surprised by how much effort it took at first. I arbitrarily decided to have the list include 365 items, that is, an item for every day of the year. I kind of hit a wall around item No. 75, but then something unexpected happened – ideas began to flood in, and I actually had to leave a number of items off.
How many of you out there have bucket lists of your own? What sort of items do you have on your list? How many of your personal bucket list items have you already accomplished? Which were your most memorable? Which were the most difficult to accomplish? Let us know in the comments section below.
In the spirit of the new year, what follows is my bucket list. I plan to update it as I scratch items from the list and add other items to take their place.
1. Win millions in the lottery (because some of this stuff is going to take some cash).
2. Register for National Novel Writing Month and write a novel in one month.
3. Publish a novel.
4. Write 100 short stories in my Eli McMorn series.
5. Publish a short story.
6. Write my memoirs.
7. Transcribe, edit and revise my journals from my time in Kuwait and Iraq.
8. Get a passport.
9. Hike Hadrian’s Wall Across the UK.
10. Visit/Explore Sanders Cave at Brooklyn.
11. Spend the night in the Claiborne Masonic Lodge at Perdue Hill.
12. Spend the night in the Hybart House in Monroeville.
13. Visit and tour the Masonic lodge building at Brooklyn.
14. Visit my great-uncle’s WWI grave in France.
15. Read the entire Bible.
16. Join the Scottish Rite/Attain the 32nd Degree.
17. Join the York Rite of Freemasonry.
18. Become a lifetime member of the National Geographic Society.
19. Become a certified NWS Cooperative Weather Observer.
20. Become a certified NOAA Skywarn Storm Spotter.
21. Watch my son catch his first fish.
22. Watch my son kill his first deer.
23. Brew (and drink) homemade beer.
24. Meet Nick Saban.
25. Meet the President of the United States.
26. Meet Bear Grylls of “Man vs. Wild”
27. Meet Harper Lee.
28. Attend an NFL game in the Superdome in New Orleans.
29. Become a certified SCUBA diver.
30. SCUBA dive a ship wreck.
31. Do 100 consecutive pushups.
32. Do 30 burpees in a row.
33. Fast for three days, drinking nothing but water.
34. Eat at every restaurant in Conecuh County at least once.
35. Watch all the Academy Award Best Picture winners.
36. Attend Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany.
37. Attend the Great American Beer Festival in Denver, Colo.
38. Attend the SEC Championship Football Game in Atlanta.
39. Ride in a helicopter.
40. Pull a ride-along shift with LifeFlight.
41. Skydive.
42. Take the Jack the Ripper tour in London.
43. Become a certified pilot/take flying lessons.
44. Learn to play golf.
45. Join the Monroe County Heritage Museums.
46. Serve a term on the Monroe County Heritage Museums’ board of directors.
47. Meet Stephen King.
48. Be an extra in a movie.
49. Read all of Clive Cussler’s books.
50. Memorize Rudyard Kipling’s poem, “If.”
51. Learn to play poker.
52. Attend the Kentucky Derby, drink a mint julep and bet on a horse.
53. Join the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
54. Learn to cook.
55. Watch a Monday Night Football Game in person.
56. Meet Grant Wilson and Jason Hawes from “Ghost Hunters.”
57. Buy a nice handheld GPS device and learn to use it.
58. Become an experienced geocacher.
59. Eat every dish on the “100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die” list.
60. Watch the American Film Institute’s 100 Funniest Movies.
61. Release a message in a bottle.
62. Lean to kayak.
63. Become a certified Spanish translator.
64. Visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
65. Meet Zak Bagans, Nick Groff and Aaron Goodwin from “Ghost Adventures.”
66. Kill a deer with a traditional muzzle-loading rifle.
67. Eat a peach from Chilton County, Ala.
68. Watch all of Sports Illustrated’s “Greatest Sports Movies.”
69. Read National Geographic’s 100 Best Adventure Books
70. Serve an enlistment in the U.S. Navy Reserves.
71. Take the kids to Waterville and “show them how it’s done.”
72. Learn to speak French.
73. Attend a World Series baseball game.
74. Go on an alligator hunt.
75. Watch all the Lord of the Rings movies back to back.
76. Read Outside Magazine’s “25 Best Adventure Books of the Last 100 Years.”
77. Hunt and kill a wild turkey.
78. Eat Escargot.
79. Watch all the Star Wars movies back to back.
80. Read the complete works of William Shakespeare
81. Bury a time capsule.
82. Learn to sail.
83. Visit/Tour London.
84. Earn a Master’s Degree in English.
85. Attend a professional boxing event.
86. Read “War and Peace” by Leo Tolstoy.
87. Help deliver a baby.
88. Hike the Appalachian Trail.
89. Earn a black belt in karate.
90. Watch an Alabama football game at Texas A&M’s stadium.
91. Learn to fly-fish.
92. Read all 125 of Agee Films “Great Southern Books”
93. Buy a good metal detector and use it.
94. Fly with the Blue Angels.
95. Fly at the speed of sound.
96. Take my son to Las Vegas on his 21st birthday.
97. Become a certified beer judge.
98. Watch a Yankees game at Yankee Stadium in N.Y.
99. Make a handmade bow and arrows set.
100. Read Discover Magazine’s “25 Greatest Science Books of All Time.”
101. Plant a vegetable garden.
102. Learn to ride a motorcycle.
103. Climb to the top of the clock tower at the Old Monroe County Courthouse.
104. Learn to scout football like a pro.
105. Watch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park in Boston.
106. Hunt a lion in Tanzania (legal there).
107. Read the “Complete Poems and Stories of Edgar Allan Poe.”
108. Complete a 1,000-piece puzzle.
109. Break a Guinness World Record.
110. Become a certified/licensed bartender.
111. Attend the MLB All-Star Game.
112. Camp on the sandbar at Bailey’s Creek for a week.
113. Read all the Sherlock Holmes mysteries.
114. Research my family tree as fully as possible.
115. Spend the night out in the yard on a night there will be a hard frost.
116. Cross the equator.
117. Become a bonded notary public.
118. Watch a high school football game in Odessa, Texas.
119. Hunt an elephant in South Africa (legal there).
120. Read “The Civil War” by Shelby Foote.
121. Do genealogy interviews with my parents.
122. Hike to Everest Base Camp
123. Climb Mt. Everest
124. Visit and tour the oldest Masonic lodge in Alabama (Huntsville).
125. Get a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL)
126. Visit the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.
127. Hunt for brown bear or black bear in Alaska.
128. Read the complete works of Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton.
129. Get a tattoo.
130. Ride in a hot air balloon.
131. Carve my initials in a tree.
132. Take the Monroeville walking tour.
133. Become a certified private investigator.
134. Take my son to a WWF wrestling event.
135. Go on a real duck hunt.
136. Read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” by William L. Shirer.
137. Take part in an archeological dig/fossil hunt/dig for dinosaur bones
138. Tour/Drive Alabama’s “Civil War Trail”
139. Become a certified UFO field investigator.
140. Learn to surf.
141. Hunt and kill a coyote.
142. Interview someone who claims to have been abducted by aliens.
143. Stand on the South Pole.
144. Stand on the North Pole. Look for Santa.
145. Visit the Grand Canyon.
146. Raft the Grand Canyon.
147. Hike the Grand Canyon.
148. Mule ride down the Grand Canyon.
149. Complete a semester at the National Outdoor Leadership School.
150. Attend the Army-Navy Football Game.
151. Read all of Tom Clancy’s novels.
152. Photograph a real, live tornado from way too close.
153. Go parasailing.
154. Attend the New Year’s Eve celebration in Time’s Square.
155. Become a certified lifeguard.
156. Watch a Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
157. Hunt for geese.
158. Read all of Sports Illustrated’s “Top 100 Sports Books of All Time”
159. Take part in a Civil War battle reenactment.
160. Swim across the Alabama River.
161. Spend a week in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.
162. Become a certified electrician.
163. Attend the Notre Dame-Michigan Football Game.
164. Examine a crop circle.
165. Paint a self-portrait.
166. Fly in an open cockpit airplane.
167. Become a licensed barber.
168. Attend the NFL Pro Bowl.
169. Read “The Unabridged Mark Twain.”
170. Ride a mechanical bull.
171. Complete a triathalon.
172. Visit/Tour the Sloss Furnaces in Birmingham.
173. Earn an honorary degree.
174. Attend the Rose Bowl Game.
175. Read the books on the Horror Writers Association Horror Reading List.
176. Watch a live rocket launch.
177. Meet Paul Finebaum.
178. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
179. Take the Old Federal Road driving tour.
180. Become a certified welder.
181. Play rugby.
182. Read all of the books on the “101 Crackerjack Sea Books” list.
183. See comedian Daniel Tosh perform live.
184. Climb Mount Fuji, Japan.
185. Become a certified plumber.
186. Watch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field in Chicago.
187. Read “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.
188. Learn how to smoke a pipe.
189. Grow my hair out, shoulder-length.
190. Visit National Geographic’s Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
191. Attend a fantasy baseball camp.
192. Read Playboy’s “Top 20 Books Every Man Must Read.”
193. Participate in a séance.
194. Experience a session in a sensory deprivation tank.
195. Attend Comic-Con International in San Diego.
196. Watch a basketball game at Madison Square Garden.
197. Read all of John Keel’s books.
198. Smoke a Cuban cigar… in Cuba.
199. Experience weightlessness.
200. Spend the night in the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado.
201. Attend the NCAA Final Four.
202. Read all of Hunter S. Thompson’s books.
203. Watch a Broadway play/musical.
204. Cage dive amongst sharks.
205. Visit/Tour Providence, Rhode Island.
206. Visit H.P. Lovecraft’s grave in Providence, R.I.
207. Attend an NBA All-Star Game.
208. Read all of the Hellboy graphic novels
209. Ride a camel.
210. Ride in a blimp.
211. Attend the Stanley Cup Finals.
212. Milk a cow. Drink the milk.
213. Go on a dog-sledding trip.
214. Take the self-guided Black Belt Ghost Trail.
215. Watch a World Cup soccer game in person.
216. Collect all 33 books in the TIME-Life Mysteries of the Unknown Series
217. Sleep in a castle.
218. Climb Mount Cheaha.
219. Visit/Tour Roswell, New Mexico.
220. Watch a pro soccer game in the U.K. in person.
221. Try stand-up paddle boarding.
222. Run/complete a Tough Mudder Race.
223. Take the Camden walking tour.
224. Watch a NASCAR race in person.
225. Read all of Truman Capote’s books.
226. Work for a month on a fishing boat.
227. Climb Mt. Rainer, Washington.
228. Ride on the Orient Express.
229. Read all of Louis L’Amour’s books.
230. Drive the Great Ocean Road in southern Australia.
231. Read all the Harry Potter books.
232. Join a disaster relief effort.
233. Climb an active volcano.
234. Drive the Pacific Coast Highway in California.
235. Read all of George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novels.
236. Hike the Pacific Northwest Trail.
237. Visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
238. Invent something and patent it.
239. Climb Mt. McKinley (Denali)
240. Visit/Tour/Explore Redwood National Park.
241. Help build a Habitat for Humanity home.
242. Hike the Continental Divide Trail.
243. Visit Loch Ness in Ireland.
244. Volunteer at a homeless shelter.
245. Hike in Alaska.
246. Visit/Tour Chicago.
247. Live for a month on a houseboat.
248. Visit/Tour Easter Island.
249. Attend a Native American sweat lodge ceremony.
250. Travel coast to coast by train.
251. Photograph a ghost.
252. See the Congo River in person.
253. Ride the New York City subway.
254. Visit/Kiss the Blarney Stone in Ireland.
255. See the Nile River.
256. Visit the source of the Nile.
257. Visit Jim Morrison’s Grave in Paris, France.
258. Visit Oak Island in Canada.
259. Attend the Alabama Book Festival.
260. Tour the USS North Carolina in Wilmington, N.C.
261. See the Seven Wonders of the World
262. Go on a ghost tour in Savannah, Ga.
263. Visit the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican.
264. Spend the night at the Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, La.
265. Go whale watching.
266. Visit the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Va.
267. Visit the British Museum in London.
268. Visit/Tour Eastern State Penitentiary in Pa.
269. Attend a Star Trek convention.
270. Tour the Gettysburg battlefield.
271. Visit/Tour Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
272. See the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
273. Visit Old Cahaba.
274. Visit the House of the Temple in Washington, D.C.
275. Backpack through Europe.
276. Visit Roanoke Island.
277. Visit Glacier National Park.
278. Visit/Tour Harvard University’s campus
279. Visit/Tour Tombstone, Arizona.
280. Visit Dracula’s Castle in Romania.
281. See Mt. Rushmore.
282. See the Amazon River in person.
283. Visit Freemason’s Hall in Philadelphia.
284. See the Nazca Lines in Peru.
285. Sleep in an overnight train.
286. Visit/Tour Mammoth Cave.
287. Watching the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
288. Sail across an ocean.
289. Visit/Tour Israel/Jerusalem.
290. Climb to the top of the Pensacola Lighthouse.
291. Spend the night in a submarine.
292. Visit/Tour St. Augustine, Fla./ St. Augustine Lighthouse.
293. See the Northern Lights from somewhere in the polar regions.
294. Ride a steamboat down the Mississippi River.
295. Visit the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
296. Visit Frankenstein’s Castle in Darmstadt, Germany.
297. Visit the San Diego Zoo.
298. Visit Rosslyn Chapel in Roslin, Scotland.
299. Visit the top of the Statue of Liberty.
300. Visit/Tour Salem, Mass.
301. Visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
302. Visit the top of the Empire State Building.
303. Ride a Greyhound bus from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine.
304. Eat at Brennan’s Restaurant in New Orleans.
305. Visit the Grand Lodge of England.
306. Visit Auschwitz.
307. Visit/Tour Japan.
308. Visit/Tour Tokyo.
309. Visit the Amazon Rain Forest.
310. Ride a San Francisco trolley.
311. Visit Canada.
312. Attend a Renaissance Faire.
313. Visit “Ground Zero” in New York.
314. Visit all 50 of the United States.
315. Visit the Great Wall of China.
316. Visit the Panama Canal.
317. Visit/Tour the Explorers Club in New York City.
318. Go on an African safari.
319. Visit the George Washington Masonic Memorial in Wash., D.C.
320. Go on a “Bigfoot hunt” in the Pacific Northwest.
321. Visit/Tour Alcatraz prison.
322. Cross the Artic Circle.
323. Visit Stonehenge.
324. Visit the Templar Church in London.
325. Attend Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
326. Ride a gondola in Venice.
327. Visit Yellowstone National Forest.
328. Visit the Roman Coliseum.
329. Visit/Tour New Zealand.
330. Visit the Hank Williams Museum in Georgiana.
331. Visit The Louvre in Paris.
332. Go on a mission trip to a foreign country.
333. Visit/Tour Rome.
334. Visit/Tour Pearl Harbor.
335. See Niagra Falls in person.
336. Visit/Tour St. Louis, Missouri.
337. Visit/Tour New York City
338. Visit/Tour Boston.
339. Visit/Tour Los Angeles.
340. Visit/Tour San Francisco.
341. Visit the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
342. Take an Around-the-World cruise.
343. Visit the Galapagos Islands.
344. Visit/Tour Paris.
345. Visit/Tour Greece.
346. Drive Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles
347. Drive across country from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean.
348. Attend the Burning Man festival in Nevada.
349. Visit/Tour Charleston, S.C.
350. Work for a month in Antarctica.
351. Visit Edgar Allan Poe’s grave in Baltimore, Md.
352. Visit the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
353. Visit/Tour Yosemite National Park.
354. Visit Hawaii.
355. Visit the Adventurers Club in Chicago.
356. Trek the Salcantay Route to Machu Picchu in Peru.
357. Visit/Tour the Pyramids at Giza in Egypt.
358. Visit the Coney Island Boardwalk.
359. Visit Omaha Beach in Normandy.
360. Visit Carlsbad Caverns.
361. Visit the Florida Everglades.
362. See the face tombstones at Mt. Nebo Cemetery in Clarke Co.
363. See all of the Saturn Award winning movies.
364. Read all of the adventure books recommended by “The Art of Manliness.”
365. Ride a plane or boat in the Bermuda Triangle.
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